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Pickerington's Sonny Styles blossoms into star for Ohio State, relishes chance in The Game
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- Pickerington's Sonny Styles blossoms into star for Ohio State, relishes chance in The Game
His given name is Alex, but only his mom and two sisters call him that.
Sonny Styles got his nickname originally because Lorenzo Styles Sr. called his first son Lorenzo Styles Jr. "Son," and Alex, "Sonny."
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But Alex had a temper as a young child and his mom associated Sonny with the character Sonny Corleone in "The Godfather." The nickname stuck, especially since his dad coached him throughout his youth and other kids heard the name.
"Most of the ladies in my life make a big statement that Sonny is not my name. My sisters can't stand, 'Sonny,'" he said.
"They say, (imitating their voices), "That's not your name. I don't know why people call you that.' It's hilarious. My dad usually calls me Sonny. My mom usually calls me Alex, but she calls me Sonny sometimes."
Sonny is no longer a hothead – well, only rarely. In fact, he's mature beyond his years, both physically and mentally. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Styles just turned 19 on Friday, the eve of the Ohio State -Michigan game.
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More: Ohio State football reporters roundtable: The stakes are high as Buckeyes head to Michigan
As a freshman last year who reclassified to enroll at OSU instead of playing his senior season at Pickerington Central, Styles took only two defensive snaps in the Wolverines' 45-23 victory i n Columbus. This year, he has emerged as a star safety on a Buckeye defense that has allowed only 9.3 points per game.
Ohio State safety Sonny Styles takes a photo with fans after last week's win over Minnesota.
Lorenzo Styles Sr. was a star linebacker on Ohio State teams that tied, lost and won against the Wolverines from 1992-94. Now it's Sonny's turn to play in The Game.
More: Analysis: The prelude is over, Michigan is on tap. How ready are the Buckeyes?
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"My dad playing here and then growing up watching them beat the team up north every single year – the past few years we haven't been able to do that," Styles said. "It's big for me to be a part of turning that back to how it should be, how it was when I grew up."
Sonny Styles feels no pressure to follow his dad
Lorenzo Sr. did not force Sonny or Lorenzo Jr., who's a Buckeye cornerback after transferring from Notre Dame, to play football.
"I didn't want them to feel any pressure to emulate what I've done or go where I've been," said Styles Sr., who played six NFL seasons and won a Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams. "I let them develop their own identity and passion for it."
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Sonny credits his father for being an excellent role model. But while he got his athletic genes from his dad, he was molded at least as much by his mother, Laverna.
"The people that know my mom say they know she likes to run the show," Styles said. "My mom loves me very hard. She's going to be on you and let you know what you need to hear, not what you want to hear."
Both of his parents, but perhaps with Laverna taking the lead, instilled in him the importance of being more than an athlete. Sonny remembers getting a mediocre grade on a test and his mom threatening not to allow him to play in that week's football game.
"Growing up, my mom and dad made a big emphasis on being good in all areas of your life," Styles said. "Don't just be a football player. Be a good football player, but also be a good student. Be a good brother. Be a good cousin. Be a good friend. Just be a good person. I think that was a huge thing they put on us early – don't just be a football player. There's much more to being a person than being a football player."
Nov 18, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes safety Sonny Styles (6) tackles Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Zach Evans (26) during the first half of their game on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023 at Ohio Stadium.
Sonny is two years younger than his brother, but he was big for his age and clearly talented, so he played on Lorenzo Jr.'s teams.
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"He was always a pretty dominating force," Lorenzo Sr. said. "I remember when he was in the third grade playing (defensive end) with the fifth graders, some of the coaches would run away from his side."
Sonny was also a star basketball player who helped lead Pickerington Central to a state championship.
He also played baseball, but his dad had an ulterior motive for that. Sonny was competitive to a fault.
"He would lose a video game and kind of go berserk," his dad said.
Baseball is a sport that forces players to deal with failure. Even .400 hitters make outs 60% of the time.
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"We had him play baseball to kind of alleviate some of that mental anguish that he would get for not succeeding," he said.
It also helped that Sonny always had Lorenzo Jr. as a measuring stick. Older brothers humble younger brothers, even if they're best friends as the Styles are.
"I give a lot of props to my brother, first for being a great example, but him chasing after greatness made me want to chase after greatness," Sonny said.
Ohio State safety Sonny Styles tackles Indiana quarterback Brendan Sorsby.
Sonny eventually learned to channel his intense competitiveness, but it's not entirely gone. Ohio State safeties coach Perry Eliano has seen the Corleone in Sonny when things have gotten heated at practices.
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"Not a ton of times, but there have been moments when somebody's really upset him," Eliano said. "Somebody taking a cheap shot after the play or talking noise, and he made sure they understood, 'Hey, don't think I won't get at you.' "
'He's got an old soul'
Aside from those moments, Styles is level-headed and thoughtful. He was intelligent and driven enough to graduate from high school in three years.
He impressed his teammates and coaches when he arrived as a 17-year-old last summer with his maturity and work ethic.
"It's easy to see his skill set," Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. "You see his size. You saw what he can do on the basketball court when we were recruiting him. You watch his football range. That's the first thing you notice.
Ohio State safety Sonny Styles (left) talks with his dad Lorenzo Sr. and brother Lorenzo Jr. after the Buckeyes practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Nov. 15, 2023.
"But then you realize he has a quiet confidence about him. He's very serious. He can take hard coaching. He's very critical of himself. He takes great care of his body. He's just very mature for somebody his age."
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Styles has been a difference-maker on Ohio State's rugged defense. Coordinator Jim Knowles says often that his defense is safety-driven, and Styles has played all three spots. When he's in the slot, he's big enough to serve as a quasi-linebacker in run support or as a blitzer.
"He allows us to do things we probably we wouldn't be able to do if he wasn't a part of the Silver Bullets," Eliano said. "His capacity for learning, his football IQ, his acumen, it's just on a different level."
Eliano said Sauce Gardner is the only player he has coached who's comparable to Styles at his age. Gardner was a cornerback at the University of Cincinnati who was the fourth pick of the NFL draft last year.
"He's got an old soul," Eliano said of Styles. "His approach to the game is like he's been playing (college ball) for four years."
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Now Styles is preparing for the biggest game of his college career. He grew up with the rivalry. Styles is going to play a major role in one of the biggest games in its history.
"I think the emotion for me is to go out there and leave with no regrets," he said. "Don't get to Saturday and think, 'Man, I wish I would have prepared a little more or watched this (video) a little more or put in this extra time.' I'm going to prepare to the best of my ability and then go out there and play as hard as I can for my brothers."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: OSU's Sonny Styles blossoms into star, could be pivotal vs. Michigan
